Mike Duffy: “Can I share something with you, which I haven’t shared publicly until now? … And that is in private conversations with me, Chuck Cadman told me, that there was no way he was going to vote against the Martin government, because he was concerned of the potential impact it might have on the insurance settlement for his wife Dona. In other words: if he died while a sitting MP, Chuck told me, ‘that would double or virtually double the payout to his widow’ and he didn’t ‘dare take a risk forcing an election’, even if he was confident of being elected, for fear of some legal hassle involving an insurance payout …”Duffy suggests that Cadman told him he would not bring down the government for fear it would affect his benefits as a member. Since Cadman was dying, the motive may have been selfish, but understandable.
The next quote comes from Stephen Harper in 2005:
When Zytaruk asked Harper whether he knew of the offer, Harper said: "I don't know the details. I knew that there were discussions, uh, this is not for publication?"Harper appears to confirm Duffy's story that Cadman was not going to vote against the government out of fears that he was going to lose his benefits (his government insurance policy) if he voted down the government. So, it looks like the Tories we going to offer Cadman a substitute policy to allow Cadman to vote with them rather than the government. With the event seemingly established, the only question to answer is, is this a crime? Hat tip to BCer in Tononto.
Zytaruk told Harper that the interview was "not for the newspaper. This is for the book."
Harper said: "I can tell you that I had told the individuals – I mean, they wanted to do it – but I told them they were wasting their time.
"I said Chuck had made up his mind he was going to vote with the Liberals. I knew why, and I respected the decision, but they were convinced there was financial issues ... but I said that's not going to change the decision," Harper said.
"I said `Don't press him, I mean, you have this theory that it's, you know, financial insecurity, and ... if that's what you say, make the case,' but I said `Don't press it.'
"We had all kinds of our guys were calling him and trying to persuade him, but I just had concluded that that's where he stood and respected that," Harper said.
Asked about the insurance policy, Harper said, "it was only to replace financial considerations he might lose due to an election, okay? That's my understanding of what they were talking about (emphasis mine).
Update: The Liberals agree with me, which is scary. But, given the above two quotes, it is the only reasonable explanation. If the Tories have a better one, I am ready to hear it. Recommend this Post
